This photograph shows an elevated view of a densely packed urban area. The horizon is near the top of the frame, with distant city skyscrapers in the background behind a light blue sky. Closest to us, laundry lines crisscross between tenement buildings, carrying colorful clothes and linens in shades of white, light blue, light pink, and yellow. The clothes overlap, crossing through the center of the image. The tan and brown buildings form a corridor leading to the far row of buildings, with the open sky above them.  The colors range from pastel and muted tones to earthy colors.
Read the visual description

This photograph shows an elevated view of a densely packed urban area. The horizon is near the top of the frame, with distant city skyscrapers in the background behind a light blue sky. Closest to us, laundry lines crisscross between tenement buildings, carrying colorful clothes and linens in shades of white, light blue, light pink, and yellow. The clothes overlap, crossing through the center of the image. The tan and brown buildings form a corridor leading to the far row of buildings, with the open sky above them. The colors range from pastel and muted tones to earthy colors.

National Gallery of Art · Photograph

A Monday Washing, New York City

American 20th Century, Detroit Photographic Company

Date
published 1900
Medium
photo-chromolithograph
Dimensions
overall: 17.3 x 22.7 cm (6 13/16 x 8 15/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph · Print
Accession number
2006.170.15
Credit line
Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon
Time span
1876 to 1900
Department
CPH

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • photolithograph
  • domestic activities
  • genre
  • Hanging clothes
  • photochrom
Provenance

Mary and Dan Solomon; purchase and gift to NGA, 2006.

Inscription

stamped, lower left on image: 53622 A Monday Washing, New York City; lower right on image: Copyright 1900. / By Detroit Photographic Co.

NGA object ID 136625. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.